Pulido's hat trick fuels win for El Tri

By Dan McCarney

January 29, 2014Updated: January 29, 2014 11:17pm

SAN ANTONIO - With a handful of his European-based stars in the midst of their professional seasons overseas, Mexico coach Miguel Herrera again chose a domestic-based roster for Wednesday's exhibition match with Korea Republic.

He could face some difficult choices for the looming World Cup if those players continue to play as well as they have. With Tigres star Alan Pulido - a surprising snub from the 2012 Olympic team - scoring a hat trick in his first senior cap, Mexico crushed Korea Republic 4-0 to improve to 3-0 under its new coach.

"The team played well," Herrera said. "It was a young call-up. It's a good opportunity. Obviously, they answered the competition."

A San Antonio soccer-record crowd of 54,313 watched at the Alamodome as Mexico enjoyed 64 percent of possession with a 13-9 edge in shots.

"El Tri" has outscored its opponents 13-3 under Herrera. Granted, it hasn't come against the type of competition Mexico will face at the World Cup this summer, including Brazil and Croatia. Korea Republic is 53rd in the current FIFA rankings, while New Zealand is just 91st.

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